June 16, 2026 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Pritzker for President.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/16/jb-pritzker-donald-trump-bruce-rauner-presidential-bid/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/06/16/mayoral-working-group-recommends-policy-changes-reducing-barriers-for-trans-chicagoans
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Pritzker for President.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2026/06/16/gov-pritzker-potential-2028-presidential-run-democrats-have-lost-our-way
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/06/16/birthright-citizenship-is-before-the-supreme-court-heres-what-illinois-families-should-know
— DD: Pritzker budget takes more money away from those who have demographics that vote Republicans and gives that money to those who have demographics that vote for Democrats.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/springfield/2026/06/16/pritzker-signs-illinois-budget-trump-social-media-tax
— DD: Democrat leaders use Trump’s cage fight against him.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/06/16/coinciding-birthdays-donald-trump-80th-neil-steinberg-granddaughter

DAILY HERALD
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260616/marijuana/des-plaines-easing-sign-rules-for-cannabis-stores/

WGN9
— New Illinois GOP Chair Bob Grogan on growing the party ahead of November
https://wgntv.com/news/politics/wgn-the-point-politics-chicago-illinois/new-illinois-gop-chair-bob-grogan-on-growing-the-party-ahead-of-november/

FOX32
— Man charged with assaulting federal employee outside Chicago courthouse. DD: I was a federal employee for almost 30 years. I have been a federal retiree for almost 29 years. My critics/opponents despise/hate federal employees and federal retirees.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/man-charged-with-assaulting-federal-employee-outside-chicago-courthouse/ar-AA1HByjC

WBEZ
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/06/16/school-districts-trans-kids-pay-anti-trans-lawsuits

RIVER BENDER
— Plummer Criticizes Pritzker After Signing of FY2027 State Budget
https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/senator-plummer-criticizes-pritzker-after-signing-of-fy2027-state-budget-94323.cfm

FOX ILLINOIS & WAND TV
— Illegal immigration increased car insurance premiums
https://www.foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/fact-focus-trump-says-illegal-immigration-increased-car-insurance-premiums-experts-say-otherwise/article_fbddc322-4be7-59e2-a797-9382b24dda6d.html
https://www.wandtv.com/news/national/fact-focus-trump-says-illegal-immigration-increased-car-insurance-premiums-experts-say-otherwise/article_0c22cc98-1059-5dc7-91c9-23423ebf96c2.html

CWB CHICAGO
— Grant Park cross burner was sending a message to ‘MAGA Christian nationalist supporters’ of Donald Trump
https://cwbchicago.com/2026/06/grant-park-cross-burner-was-sending-a-message-to-maga-christian-nationalist-supporters-of-donald-trump.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A 21-year-old University of Illinois Chicago senior says he is the person who set fire to a cross in Grant Park last week, though he insists he had no idea that burning crosses are a symbol of the Ku Klux Klan. Merlin Lu told NBC 5 in an interview Monday that his target was not a racial group, but rather supporters of President Donald Trump, whom he described as “MAGA Christian nationalist supporters.” His chosen method of protest: placing a red baseball cap atop a cross, the central symbol of Christianity, and setting it ablaze.)

CHALKBEAT CHICAGO
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2026/06/16/illinois-rep-chuy-garcia-introduces-house-legislation-to-protect-immigrant-children/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Bailey Supporters Say Top Dabrowski Allies Continue Primary Fight Months After Election
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/06/bailey-supporters-say-top-dabrowski-allies-continue-primary-fight-months-after-election.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Republicans will hold a midterm convention in Dallas this September. Senate candidate Ken Paxton announced the convention during a tele-town hall. President Trump is expected to speak at the convention. The GOP aims to boost voter turnout and enthusiasm with this convention.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/16/gop-picks-dallas-midterm-convention-says-ken-paxton/
— Foiled plot targeting UFC event at White House meant to set off revolution by killing Trump
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/16/foiled-plot-targeting-ufc-event-white-house-meant-set-revolution/
— Vance blames the political left’s rhetoric for planned attacks targeting the UFC event
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/16/jd-vance-blames-political-lefts-rhetoric-planned-attacks-targeting/
— Is removal of Trump’s name from Kennedy Center a metaphor? DD: Trump opposes abortion. Democrat leaders remove Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center building. In 2025, Democrat leaders removed Hyde’s name from the DuPage County Courthouse because he opposed abortion.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/15/removal-trumps-name-kennedy-center-metaphor/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Vance praises Trump’s ‘rebellion’ against GOP donors in new book. DD: Far too many major Republican donors reject far too many planks in the Republican Party platform.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/4610021/vance-praises-trump-rebellion-against-gop-donors-new-book/

NEW YORK POST
— Freedom 250 White House attack suspect posted wild anti-Trump, antisemitic TikTok memes
https://nypost.com/2026/06/16/us-news/vile-social-media-posts-of-alleged-ufc-250-plotter-exposed-as-feds-say-tiktok-was-used-to-recruit/
— ‘Assassination culture’ and anti-Christian extremism fueled alleged plot against Erika Kirk
https://nypost.com/2026/06/16/us-news/assassination-culture-and-anti-christian-extremism-fueled-alleged-plot-against-erika-kirk-report/
— Cornell student who ‘won’t work for Jews’ is a symptom of a far darker hatred that must be stopped. DD: Far too many of my Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworker, and subordinates were antisemitic. They were furious when I volunteered to work for the office’s Jewish GS-15 (currently $165,386-$197,200/year manager in late 1989.
https://nypost.com/2026/06/16/opinion/cornell-student-who-wont-work-for-jews-is-a-symptom-of-a-far-darker-hatred-that-must-be-stopped/

JUDICIAL WATCH
— United States Seeks to Intervene in Judicial Watch Lawsuit Challenging Evanston Reparations Program
https://www.judicialwatch.org/evanston-reparations-program/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
— A Person Is in Custody in a Chicago Cross Burning Investigation.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/illinois/articles/2026-06-16/a-person-is-in-custody-in-a-chicago-cross-burning-investigation-police-say
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The man said he protesting President Donald Trump and not making a racist statement. “I did know about this historical relevance beforehand. But I didn’t know the severity, how racially motivated it may seem from what I did,” the man told the TV station. “Cause my protest has nothing to do with race, nothing to do with gender.” Cross burnings in the U.S. have historically been seen as symbols of hate and intimidation against Black people and have often been connected to the Ku Klux Klan. The Chicago Police Department’s communications office confirmed that a person was in custody in connection with the case, but no other details were released. The man interviewed on WMAQ said he was protesting the “ruling class” and Christian nationalists who support Trump. He said he put a red MAGA hat on the cross.)

MSN
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly replace those who have demographics that vote for Republicans with those who have demographics that vote for Democrats. I should write about Democrat success in doing that in Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, Wheaton, Wheaton’s West district, Wheaton Warrenville School District 200, and my precinct. Ever increasingly, I am a minority in more ways.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/lifestyle/relationships/donald-trump-and-the-republican-party-love-and-hate/ar-AA25JaRx

PEW RESEARCH
— Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative.
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2013/07/31/whither-the-gop-republicans-want-change-but-split-over-partys-direction/

SALON
— Working class. DD: My critics/opponents look down on the working class. I was a member of the working class 1964-1997. I had to work my way through college. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivered mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assemble line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997. I should write about my critic/opponents. I would focus on those whose parents were the wealthiest.
https://www.salon.com/2026/06/16/trumps-white-working-class-base-may-finally-have-had-enough/

Author: David Diersen

The opinions that I express in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are based on experience that I have gained doing many things since 1948. I base my opinions on what I learned a) working for the federal government for almost 30 years -- Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, serving on the Executive Committee of the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter 1983-1996, and being a union member while I worked for the Post Office and IRS; b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, a masters degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, and a masters degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997; c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981; c) serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois Chairman 2005-2012, a member of the 2008 Illinois Republican Party (IRP) Platform and Resolutions Committee, a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member 2003-2011, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004; d) attending the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 IRP State Conventions as a delegate; e) being the subject of a nasty 4-page article in the February 1978 issue of Money Magazine; f) pursing litigation including Diersen v. GAO and Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange; g) being married since 1978; h) living in Crete 1948-1972, in University Park 1972-1976, in Chicago 1976-1978, and in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978; and i) being baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran.